🎭 Chinese Dramedy Outpaces ‘The Odyssey’ at the Box Office
The military comedy-drama Once Upon a Time in the Middle East, produced by Dirty Monkeys Studio, claimed the top spot in Mainland China’s box office chart for the weekend of August 14–16. According to the analytics agency Artisan Gateway, the film pulled in $70.3 million over the three-day period.
Factoring in its Tuesday opening and sneak previews, total earnings for the Wen Muye-directed feature reached $134.1 million, with Imax screenings contributing $2.1 million to the tally.
Second place went to Christopher Nolan’s epic drama The Odyssey (Universal), which grossed $28.4 million during its official three-day opening weekend ($35.9 million including previews). A nationwide launch across 20,000 screens alongside a high-profile promotional tour in Beijing handed the film a record-breaking debut among all Nolan titles in Chinese Imax theaters, with the format generating $19.3 million including previews.
Pearl Studio’s animated feature All Wishes Come True! held onto third place, holding strong with $13.1 million in its fifth weekend to push its cumulative box office to $235.9 million. Sony’s blockbuster Spider-Man: Brand New Day ranked fourth, adding $9.9 million for the weekend ($209 million overall) and maintaining its position as the highest-grossing Hollywood release in China for 2026. Rounding out the top five was Enlight Pictures’ fantasy film To Your Island, which brought in $2.6 million for a total of $15 million.
Overall weekend box office revenue in China reached $132.9 million. Year-to-date theatrical revenue for 2026 stands at $3.79 billion—a 30.4% decline compared to the same period in 2025.
Source: Variety
Analytics